Voluntary category will include schools with a particular religious

ethos.

Parents have a statutory right to express a preference for a

school. National tables are published on the performance of all schools

throughout Britain. All state schools have to give parents a written

annual report on their child’s achievements. Parents are represented

on school governing bodies, which appoint staff and manage school

budgets. Each school is regularly inspected by independent inspectors,

Working to agreed national standards.

Broadly based national curricula ensure that pupils study a balanced

range of subjects. The National Curriculum in England and

Wales consists of statutory subjects for 5- to 16-year-olds. Similar

arrangements exist in Northern Ireland; in Scotland, content and management

of the curriculum are not prescribed by statute. All state

schools must provide religious education and all state secondary

schools are required to provide sex education, although parents have

the right to withdraw their children from these classes. All English

primary schools are required to have a literacy and numeracy study

hour each day.

The main school examination, the General Certificate of Secondary

Education (GCSE), is taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

at around age 16. A broadly similar exam system exists in Scotland.

All qualifications offered to pupils in state schools in England

and Wales must be approved by the Government. Associated syllabuses

and assessment must comply with national guidelines.

One of the government objectives is to help young people develop

economically relevant skills. It recognizes that school-business

links can raise attainment levels and help pupils to see the relevance

of what they learn at school. It supports Education–Business partnerships

and aims to bring closer links between schools and industry so

that young people develop skills to help them succeed in the labour

market. All young people in full-time education are entitled to careers

Information and guidance. In England and Wales pupils can take

up work experience placements at any time in their last two years of

compulsory schooling. In Scotland the Education for Work programme

also develops business-education links.

Students who choose to continue their studies after 16 – about

two-thirds – work for academic (i.e. study for examinations which

lead to higher education) or vocational qualifications which are the

main standard for entry to higher education or professional training.

These include the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ),

mainly taken between the ages of 16 and 18, which is designed to provide

a broad-based preparation for a range of occupations and higher

education; the academic General Certificate of Education Advanced

(A) level examination taken at the age of 18 or 19, and the Advanced

Supplementary (AS) examination.

Further Education and Training

About 2.5 million students are enrolled in further education,

much of which is work-related. Further education is for persons over

compulsory school age, and consists of full-time and part-time education.